Matt Groening facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Matt Groening
Groening in 2024
Born	Matthew Abram Groening (1954-02-15) February 15, 1954 (age 71) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Alma mater	Evergreen State College (BA)
Occupation	Cartoonist writer producer animator
Years active	1977–present
Notable work	Life in Hell The Simpsons Futurama Disenchantment
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Deborah Caplan ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 1999)​ Agustina Picasso ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	9
Parent(s)	Homer Groening (father)
Relatives	Craig Bartlett (brother-in-law)
Awards	Full list
Signature

Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is famous for creating the TV shows The Simpsons (which started in 1989), Futurama (which aired from 1999 to 2003, then 2008 to 2013, and again from 2023), and Disenchantment (2018–2023). He also created the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012). The Simpsons is the longest-running American TV show in prime time and the longest-running American animated show and sitcom.

Groening sold his first professional cartoon, Life in Hell, to Wet magazine in 1978. This comic strip became very popular and was featured in 250 newspapers. It caught the eye of producer James L. Brooks. In 1985, Brooks asked Groening to create animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show. Groening worried about losing control of his Life in Hell characters. So, he quickly drew a new family: the Simpson family. These shorts became so popular that they turned into their own TV series, The Simpsons.

In 1997, Groening and writer David X. Cohen created Futurama. This animated series is about life in the year 3000. It first aired in 1999 on Fox. Later, it was brought back by Comedy Central and then by Hulu. In 2016, Groening developed a new series for Netflix called Disenchantment, which started in 2018.

Groening has won many awards for his work. He has 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, mostly for The Simpsons and Futurama. He also won a British Comedy Award in 2004. In 2002, he received the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for Life in Hell. He even got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

Early Life and Inspirations

Groening was born on February 15, 1954, in Portland, Oregon. He was the middle child of five. His mother, Margaret, was a teacher. His father, Homer Groening, was a filmmaker, writer, and cartoonist.

Groening grew up in Portland. He went to Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. After high school, he attended Evergreen State College in Washington. He called it a "hippie college" with no grades. He worked as an editor for the campus newspaper. He also drew cartoons for it.

He became friends with cartoonist Lynda Barry. He said she was "probably [his] biggest inspiration." Groening first loved cartoons after watching Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians. He also looked up to other cartoonists like Robert Crumb and Charles M. Schulz. He graduated in 1977 with a degree in journalism.

Matt Groening's Career Journey

Starting Out in Los Angeles

In 1977, when he was 23, Groening moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to become a writer. He had many different jobs. He was an extra in a TV movie. He washed dishes at a nursing home. He also worked at a record store.

Life in Hell Comic Strip

Cover of Life in Hell No. 4, published in 1978

Groening started drawing a comic book called Life in Hell. It was about his experiences in Los Angeles. He sold it at the record store where he worked. In 1978, he sold his first professional cartoon to Wet magazine.

He then got a job at the Los Angeles Reader newspaper. He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell. The editor liked them. Life in Hell officially started as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980.

The comic strip quickly became popular. In 1984, his girlfriend, Deborah Caplan, helped publish a book of the strips called "Love Is Hell." It sold very well. Groening and Caplan then started the Life in Hell Co. to handle merchandise. Life in Hell was featured in 250 newspapers. It ended on June 16, 2012.

The Simpsons TV Show

How The Simpsons Began

The design of the Simpson family, circa 1987

The comic strip Life in Hell caught the attention of Hollywood producer James L. Brooks. In 1985, Brooks asked Groening to create animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show. Groening was worried about losing control of his Life in Hell characters. So, he quickly came up with a new idea.

He sketched out a dysfunctional family called the Simpsons. The family included Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Groening named the main characters after his own family members. Homer and Marge are named after his parents. Lisa and Maggie are named after his younger sisters. He chose "Bart" because it's an anagram of "brat." He says his family is not like the Simpsons, except for some sibling rivalry.

From Shorts to a Full Series

The Simpson family was drawn simply at first. Groening gave basic sketches to the animators. He thought they would make them look nicer. But the animators just traced his drawings. The family was designed so you could recognize them by their shapes. For example, Homer's hairline and ear originally looked like Groening's initials, "M" and "G." He later changed the ear. Marge's tall beehive hair was inspired by a movie and his mother's hairstyle.

The Simpsons shorts first appeared on The Tracey Ullman Show in April 1987. Another family member, Grampa Simpson, was added later. By coincidence, writers named Grampa "Abraham," which was also the name of Groening's grandfather.

The shorts became very popular. This led to a half-hour TV show in 1989. The Simpsons premiered on December 17, 1989, with a Christmas special. The show quickly became a worldwide hit. Groening said, "Nobody thought The Simpsons was going to be a big hit."

Groening, Brooks, and Sam Simon developed the show together. Groening and Simon often disagreed. Simon left the show in 1993. Many characters in the show are named after people or places. For example, Chief Wiggum is named after Groening's mother's maiden name. Other characters like Flanders and Lovejoy are named after streets in Portland, Oregon.

Groening has written or co-written several Simpsons episodes. He also co-wrote and produced The Simpsons Movie in 2007. He has appeared in the show himself a few times. He is currently an executive producer and creative consultant for The Simpsons.

Futurama Adventures in the Year 3000

David X. Cohen and Groening at the Futurama panel of Comic-Con 2009

After researching science fiction, Groening teamed up with Simpsons writer David X. Cohen in 1997. They created Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000. They had many characters and stories ready when they pitched the show to Fox in 1998.

The show first aired on March 28, 1999. Groening helped write the first episode, "Space Pilot 3000." Fox canceled the show after four years. However, strong DVD sales and good ratings on Adult Swim brought Futurama back.

Comedy Central ordered 16 new episodes. Four direct-to-DVD movies were also made. These movies were Bender's Big Score (2007), The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Bender's Game (2008), and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009).

Into the Wild Green Yonder was meant to be the series finale. But Groening wanted to continue the show. In 2010, Comedy Central ordered 26 more episodes. The show ran until 2013. In 2022, Hulu announced that Futurama would be revived again for a 2023 release.

Disenchantment Fantasy Series

In 2016, it was announced that Groening was working with Netflix on a new animated series. On July 25, 2017, the series, Disenchantment, was ordered. Groening said the idea came from a sketchbook full of "fantastic creatures we couldn't do on The Simpsons."

The show is a fantasy series. It features the voices of Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, and Nat Faxon. Disenchantment aired from August 17, 2018, to September 1, 2023. It had 50 episodes in 5 parts.

Other Creative Projects

Groening in his studio, 1987

In 1993, Groening started Bongo Comics. He created it with Steve Vance, Cindy Vance, and Bill Morrison. Bongo Comics publishes comic books based on The Simpsons and Futurama. They also publish some original comics. Groening's goal with Bongo was to "bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market."

Groening loves music. His favorite artist is Frank Zappa. He has even illustrated the cover of one of Zappa's albums. In 2003 and 2010, he helped organize music festivals called All Tomorrow's Parties. He also plays the drums (or cowbell) in a rock band called Rock Bottom Remainders. Other members include famous writers like Stephen King and Amy Tan. In 2013, Groening co-authored a book called Hard Listening with his bandmates.

Personal Life

Groening married Deborah Caplan in 1986. They had two sons, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe. Groening sometimes drew them as rabbits in Life in Hell. The couple divorced in 1999.

In 2011, Groening married Agustina Picasso, an artist from Argentina. He became a stepfather to her daughter. In 2013, they had a son named Nathaniel. In 2015, their twin daughters, Luna and India, were born. In 2018, they had another set of twins, Sol and Venus. Their daughter Nirvana was born in 2020, and Satori in 2022.

Groening's brother-in-law is Craig Bartlett. Bartlett created the cartoons Hey Arnold! and Dinosaur Train. Bartlett is married to Groening's sister, Lisa.

Groening identifies as an agnostic. This means he isn't sure if God exists.

Political Views

Groening has given money to Democratic Party candidates and groups. He supported presidential campaigns for Al Gore and John Kerry. He also donated to several Democratic senators.

In a 1999 interview, he said that if he were president, his first action would be to change how political campaigns are funded. He believes current funding methods hurt democracy. Groening dislikes former President Richard Nixon. He often made fun of Nixon in The Simpsons and Futurama.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music video

Theme park

Awards and Recognition

Groening has been nominated for 41 Emmy Awards and has won thirteen of them. Eleven were for The Simpsons and two for Futurama. He won the 2002 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award. In 2004, he received a British Comedy Award for his "outstanding contribution to comedy."

In 2007, a British newspaper called The Daily Telegraph listed him as fourth in a list of the "top 100 living geniuses." He received the Inkpot Award in 1988. On February 14, 2012, he received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Images for kids

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  Matt Groening's signature

See also

In Spanish: Matt Groening para niños